1. Field
This field generally relates to pushing data to a mobile device.
2. Related Art
Some mobile devices, such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable navigation devices (PNDs) and handheld game consoles, include applications that receive data over the network. Data sent to the mobile device may be either pushed or pulled. When data is pulled, the mobile device generally requests the data from a server. Pulling data enables the mobile device to retrieve data when it needs it. However, pulling data may also result in the mobile device making data requests when no new updates have been made or may result in delay in receiving data.
When data is pushed, the server generally controls when data is sent to the mobile device. Pushing data enables the server to send data only when new updates are available. Further, the server may choose not to send data whenever new updates are available, instead periodically sending batch updates. However, because the server controls when the updates are made, the server may send updates when the mobile device does not need them. These updates may result in unneeded power consumption on the mobile device.
Systems and methods are needed to push data to mobile devices more efficiently.